Sunday, August 31, 2014

Earth Etude for Elul 6 - Living with Change

by Rabbi Howard Cohen

The end of the human
race will be that it will eventually die of civilization. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

With the approach of the season of Teshuvah it is once again
time to reflect on our relationship with the earth. In the past I would have asked myself questions
such as ‘did I waste natural resources’; or ‘did I pour unreasonable amounts of
carbon into the atmosphere’; or ‘did I speak out against corporate environmental
abuse’. These questions are important
but I believe that there is another set of questions equally or more important
that we should start asking ourselves.
This year I am asking ‘how prepared am I to live in an ecologically
changed/damaged world’ and ‘how am I helping others cope with the environmental
changes we fear that are now a part of our reality’.

Humans have already irreversibly and negatively impacted the
ecology and environment of the earth.
Perhaps we can mitigate to some degree future damage, but we cannot undo
what has been done. Thus, the most
important existential challenge today is how to live in our environmentally
affected world.

Sadly, the environmental movement has failed. This is not because Truth and science are not
on its side, nor because it lacked resources or organization. It failed because it was essentially a
messianic movement. Like all messianic movements it focused on final outcomes:
If we don’t change our ways terrible things await us (think Jonah and his
commission from God to the Ninevites).
But if we change (teshuvah) our ways we can avoid this
horrible fate and enjoy heaven on earth.
Alternatively it was messianic because it was built upon the belief that
in the end if we do right we can return (teshuvah) the earth and all therein to a time when it was much more like
the days of the Garden of Eden. (Think
Shabbat as a taste of the Olam HaBa, that is, in the Garden of Eden). The
environmental movement failed because messianic movements always fail.

This is a dark message if we are afraid of the unknown. This is a depressing message if we do not prepare
for the changes scientist are quite confident will almost certainly come. That is why this year when I reflect on my
earth/nature relationship instead of asking what can I do better next year to
stop the inevitable changes from happening, I am going to ask how can I live
with and help others live with the changes already under way. Learning to live within a changed environment
can be empowering, inspire hope and stimulate creativity. It is not, nor does it need to be depressing.

by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen I teach a class called Loss & Transformation: Connecting Sacred Texts to Family Stories to Help Deal with Lo...

Ma'yan Tikvah - A Wellspring of Hope

Ma'yan Tikvah is a congregation without walls in Wayland, MA, that holds services outdoors year round. It is a place of hope and trust for those seeking a meaningful connection to Judaism through study, prayer, experiences of nature, care of the environment, and social justice. Founded and guided by Rabbi Katy Z. Allen, Ma'yan Tikvah provides a place to explore Judaism in an informal and inclusive setting.